Apparently some people have come to believe that I must have a deep, abiding interest in toilets and toilet paper. Couple that with an interest in recycling and you get the piece that was emailed to me, written by a "greenie" on a crusade. The piece starts out with the premise that Americans are obsessed with toilet paper. It is one of our most frequently advertised products and the competition between brands is fierce. The writer cautions that our obsession is ruining our natural world. We use too much toilet paper. Because we insist on toilet paper that is both "soft" and "strong," we create a product that clogs our septic and sewer systems, that poisons our water supply.
The writer tells us that our ancestors had no toilet paper and they did fine. We should take a leaf out of their book--literally--and go back to leaves instead of toilet paper. As he states, leaves are totally biodegradable and when used can be added to a compost pile to "return to nature." Right, and then I'm going to use that compost to put on my vegetable plants?!!!
He does state, however, for those who insist on using toilet paper, that we can be getting far more uses out of the sheets we do use. First, he states that one square is more than adequate to do the job. He suggests a small drying rack in the bathroom or a container for each person in the home in which toilet paper can be deposited to be reused at least a few times more. He suggests that using a washcloth instead of the paper is also a better idea and better for the environment. As he says, the cloths can be rinsed out in the sink after use. This is the same sink in which I'm going to be washing my face??? And he recommends that the cloths be washed each week "to avoid problems." How generous of the writer.
I'll leave you to your own conclusions about this greenie's suggestions. Me? I need to make a trip to the market. My favorite brand of toilet paper is on sale today.
5 comments:
So many of the women on campuses today have no idea just how crazy it was for women on campus in the early 60s. I had one of those large lecture classes in Biology. It was understood that the males got to sit in the front rows and the women were relegated to the high bleachers. The professor never raised his eyes above the boy's rows. He never took a question from any of the women present. It was so obvious that he thought we shouldn't be there. No woman got an A from him--a B was considered a miracle.
Once the activism started on our campus he was one of the first targets. Women refused to register for his courses and went after the administration to get him removed. It took a while and a whole lot of spending time crowding the administration offices but it worked. And no, they don't have students like we were on campus today. Apathy is even too strong a word to describe them.
Oops, commented in the wrong place---sorry!
The writer is quite obviously male. One square certainly would not be enough! And the drying rack idea is ridiculous.
However, I don't have a problem with the thought of washcloths instead, or even necessarily of rinsing them in "the same sink you wash your face in" but I would still put them in the wash every time instead. I totally know people who use cloth baby wipes -- what's the difference?
(However, I'm not in a hurry to switch, sorry,. I'll do my part for the environment elsewhere.)
I knew a guy who used to advocate using pinecones and corn on the cob. I thought that it was weird, but as long as he wasn't hurting anyone....
Jack, if you think using pinecones and corn cobs isn't going to hurt someone, first pick up one in your hands and watch out for the sharp points. Then try and use these items as a substitute for toilet paper. They can't be flushed, so where would you put them after you finished with them? In the bathroom garbage can? You don't think human excrement in our landfills wouldn't end up hurting us all? Given the alternatives, I still vote for toilet paper.
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